Patna: A CBI court on Tuesday amended the
charge against the prime accused Rupam Pathak in the killing
of former BJP MLA Rajkishore Keshari to murder from that
earlier registered by the central investigating agency.

The designated CBI judge B.N. Singh passed the order
amending charges under Section 304 (Culpable homicide not
amounting to murder) to Section 302 (Murder) acting on an
application filed by the slain ex-BJP MLA`s nephew Sudip
Keshari challenging the case registered by the CBI under
section 304 of the IPC.
In the application, Keshari had claimed that his uncle
was murdered by Pathak and prayed for registration of a case
against her under section 302 of the IPC.

The court ordered amendment of the charge against
Pathak by taking cognizance of material evidence submitted by
the three eyewitnesses - former Purnia district unit BJP
president Ram Prasad Sav, Dinesh Sav and the slain BJP MLA`s
driver - who deposed before it today.

The judge also took into account the corroboration of
the material evidence pointing to murder by the Purnia Sadar
hospital doctor Brahmdev Raman in ordering amendment of the
charges against Pathak.
Meanwhile, Pathak`s counsel challenged the CBI judge`s
order and said that he would challenge the verdict in the High
Court.

The court further directed the CBI to submit a status
report about a local journalist Nawlesh Pathak who was
arrested by the Purnia police charging him of being a
conspirator in the late BJP MLA murder case. But the central
investigating agency which took over the probe in February had
failed to submit a chargesheet against him in the stipulated
90 days.

He was subsequently released on bail by a court.

Keshari was stabbed to death by Pathak at his
ancestral house in Purnia on January 4.